The patent and other literature are replete with references to the art of making condoms as well as various materials which may be employed in condom manufacture. However, as is well understood, irrespective of the method of making and the materials employed, a condom may be described as being an elongated, generally tubular device of thin flexible material having a closed and an open end.
In general, useful materials for making condoms include natural rubber, lambskin, and synthetic elastomeric or rubbery materials. Examples of such materials mentioned in the patent literature include polyisoprene, polyurethane, copolymers of vinylidine fluoride and hexafluoropropylene, polyethylene, polypropylene glycol, crosslinked collagen, etc.
It is also well known in the art to coat or otherwise incorporate various reagents into condoms to perform specific desired functions.
While not intended to be an exhaustive survey of the patent literature, the following patents obtained upon a cursory search will nevertheless be illustrative of the state of the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,136,417 issued to Clinch discloses the concept of applying a thin film of lubricating oil such as silicone to the surface of a condom or similar article. Preferably, a dusting compound such as talc, mica, lycopodium, starch, corn meal, corn grits, or mixtures thereof is applied before the oil.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,094 issued to Micklus discloses coating a condom with PVP-polyurethane interpolymer to provide a low coefficient of friction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,423 issued to Sternlieb teaches coating a condom with a water soluble chemical compound that incorporates sodium or potassium in chemical combination with a carbonate, bicarbonate, acetate, acetate dihydrate or trihydrate to provide a lubricating coating for ease of installation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,357 of Pomeranz relates to a condom having deformable sealed chambers filled with a rheopexic fluid which will provide a stiffening effect to the condom as a function of increasing shear stress applied thereto during intercourse, thereby simulating an erection, even if the user does not have a complete erection.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,548 of Reddy discloses dispensing a migratory pharmaceutical formulation comprising a liquid nonionic surfactant spermicidal agent and a polyethylene glycol lubricant composition into the cup of the condom, whereby the formulation migrates by capillary action throughout the inner and outer surfaces of the condom.
In view of the increasing number of AIDS victims, there has been considerable notoriety of late to the use of condoms to prevent transmission of diseases during intercourse. Consequently, there is increasing concern on the part of consenting partners during intercourse, which frequently occurs in darkened rooms, for assurance that the male partner is in fact wearing or properly wearing a condom prior to and during penetration, as he alleges.
A primary task of this invention, therefore, is to provide a method for this assurance.
Another object of this invention is to provide a means for determining whether any semen has escaped during ejaculation, e.g. through pinholes or other defects in the condom manufacture, or from improper use of the condom.
These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter in the detailed description which follows.